


Starlight Crossed Soldiers

by AmicableEntertainment



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Brain Damage, Broken Families, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Dramedy, Everyone Has Issues, Everyone Needs A Hug, Fix-It, Found Family, Friends to Enemies, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Red vs. Blue Season/Series 18 - Zero, Self Confidence Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:40:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28618200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmicableEntertainment/pseuds/AmicableEntertainment
Summary: A fix-it fic for the entirety of RVB Zero. After a vicious attack on Falcon Base results in the theft of a valuable alien artifact, the Alliance of Defense knows the members of Viper must be stopped. The AOD decides to reassemble the Shatter Squad, but not without help from two of the galaxy’s most famous space marines, Carolina and Washington.
Kudos: 15





	1. One In A Million

The Pelican zipped across the starry sky as it neared its destination. The task assigned by the Alliance of Defence was simple: do a few training tasks with a new team called Shatter Squad until they can successfully stop a local terrorist group named Viper. Compared to her past exploits, this was a cakewalk. And yet, Carolina couldn’t help her slight nervousness. Not in leading training exercises, but for her teammate sitting across from her.

Cerebral hypoxia. The brain damage haunting her best friend. Dr. Grey did everything she could, and outside of ever taking up Sarge’s offer for experimental cyborg brain surgery, Washington managed with extra technological help from his armor. To Wash's credit, after resting for a few months, he eagerly rejoined the Reds and Blues in their regular retirement shenanigans. But Carolina knew there was a difference between goofing around on Iris with close friends, and performing a real mission with strangers and threats.

“Carolina.”

Oh shit, was she staring again? He’d already reassured her multiple times he was fine, heck even the AOD thinks so! She internally braced herself for another insistent rant.

“Do you think…,” he began, trailing off afterward. This she wasn’t concerned about. At Grey’s advice, Wash’s helmet received a minor upgrade in the form of notes on the HUD, so he could record anything he wanted and check it later. Sure enough, he spoke up again after a minute, his tone a tad more confident, “...Do you think Shatter Squad will be more like the Reds and Blues or the Freelancers?”

It wasn’t what she expected to hear, but she wasn’t complaining. “Well, the AOD was another one of the UNSC’s war efforts, so I imagine the troops selected are fairly competent.”

“Right, but these rookies are in such desperate need of training the AOD called us? Are you sure this isn’t a Triplets scenario?”

She laughed a bit at the thought before adding, “What’s the matter Wash? Afraid of being at the bottom of the leaderboard again?”

“H-hey! I’ll have you know I’m a far better fighter these days!”

“Oh sure, compared to Tucker and Caboose”. She could practically see him pouting through his helmet.

There was another pause, longer this time, before Washington responded, “Tucker’s also on his own...training...mission…,” he hesitated, waiting for her own assuring nod before continuing, “...so at this point it’s a compliment.”

Before she could reply further, the Pelican touched down in front of the facility, light pouring in from all sides. Guess it was time to see who this so-called Shatter Squad truly was.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No sooner had Raymond boarded East’s Warthog before One slammed down the pedal in her own jeep. Finally, they’d picked everyone up! The real fun could begin!

One had yearned for this day for years. All of basic training’s bullshit would finally payoff, she was part of a real squad. The excitement and adrenaline caused her to crank up the speed more and more. She smirked as she saw East do her best to match her.

“Hey East! Fancy a race? First one back to your dad wins!”

East didn’t answer right away. Probably her weird complex about her father, or she knew she’d get her ass kicked, but eventually she shouted back, “Sure, while your dad tries to navigate for your hopeless ass, this newbie and I will chat with the Freelancers!”

“W-wait hold on-”

But One didn’t hear the rest of Raymond’s stammering as she immediately attempted to leave her new teammates in the dust. She heard her dad sigh next to her, but c’mon, he can’t tell her he never had some fun when he began working for the AOD. Why else would these vehicles have so many pedals if not to get some real use out of ‘em?

Annoyingly, East wasn’t as effortless to shake as One anticipated. In fact, she relished the speed even more than One did, and seamlessly took the lead. 

“What’s wrong One? Can’t keep up? Getting motion sick?”

She could also hear Raymond’s terrified reply of, “I am! Are all of you this crazy?” from their car as East tried to hush him up.

In his best attempt at helping, Axel brought up the map as a guide, as East predicted. She heard him try to offer some normal shortcut, but fuck that! Like hell she’d let East be right about anything! She could make her own shortcut, what did her dad know! As the map was lost to the wind, she drove up the cliff and through a nearby abandoned building.

“Great. Well if we’re aiming for the most damage bonus award, I’m sure you’ll scoop it right up.”

Despite her dad’s sarcasm, the thrill as she popped out the other end in the lead was entirely worth it. “I’m number One for a reason bitch!”

Apparently East didn’t appreciate the truth nor fair play, as she forced Raymond into the driver seat before shooting the machine gun at their tires.

“You pissed her off.” stated Axel at the same time One noted, “I pissed her off.”

As One attempted to swerve away from the bullets and reach the finish line first, she barely reacted in time to a sudden, “Look out!” 

The two vehicles ground to a halt, nearly colliding with West who stood far more outside the base than anticipated. Shit, who won? Maybe she could get West to tell her after he cooled down from whatever lecture they got.

“Attention!”

The members of Shatter Squad exited the vehicles and gathered around their leader, Raymond staggering on shaky legs.

“All you had to do was gather the entire squad for our first official day of assignments. Instead, you participated in illegal racing and damage to military property. Imagine if instead of me waiting for you out here, it was the Freelancers. Did you plan to show this abhorrent behavior as your first impressions? Or would you have run over them to see who triumphs?”

“But sir-”

“Lock it up Agent One. Drop and give me 50. You too East.”

One obediently began her count. Even focused on the menial exercise, she could still hear East’s normal rebellion. 

“East I said-”

“Yeah, everyone fucking heard you. Guess you have to order me around now, since you were too busy shipping me off to Starlight Labs as a child to do it then.” 

Jesus, what was her problem? One didn’t exactly know the details, but there was definitely a constant tension between the two the brief time she’s known them. West grew quiet at East’s remark, so it was up to Axel to reason with her. 

“East, I think push-ups are a perfectly lenient punishment. Any other sergeant would have you two scrubbing the latrines with your personal toothbrushes for this ridiculous stunt. So you can do a couple of push-ups, can’t you East?” 

She heard East’s frustrated “Whatever.” as she joined her on the ground. Raymond still breathed heavily, trying not to puke in his helmet. Axel shared a silent look with West, which was probably some secret dad code or something. Honestly, One wanted to ditch her teammates, run inside, and show off to their new mentors. All these daddy issues and embarrassing behaviors slowed her down. If Agents Carolina and Washington could break off from the rest of those loser Freelancers, then she would do the same. 

She was, after all, number One.


	2. Over My Head

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the Kudos and Bookmarks!

He was fine. Everything was fine. He wasn’t disabled. He knew who Carolina was, he knew he agreed to a mission training some rookies. So what if he had to double-check the squad’s name a few times? That’s normal, he was normal.

Their new recruits filed into the waiting room, and introduced themselves. Blue was One, Pink was East, Yellow was Raymond, and…..n-no he’s got it, the Red one said he was Axel right? That’d make the orange one West. Was West the one who escorted them here in the first place? Well it was a minor detail, he was too busy taking in the new sights then, that was all. He’d record them down properly in a few minutes once the meeting adjourned, no big deal. Fuck, how much did they discuss, had he missed anything important?

“-don’t even need training! Have you seen my marks? Or would you like a test demonstration?”

“Yes One, I’ve read your entire squad’s paperwork. But-”

“Yeah One, tackle the two Freelancers head-on. Should go as great as all your other ideas.”

Oh boy.

“Oh of course you would think of fighting them right away, huh East? For your information, I meant showing off in the training room, but with how cool and rebellious you think you are? I bet you’ve never spent a day there. You probably cheat in fighting same as in racing.”

"Girls-”

Oh Carolina. If those young blue and pink girls weren’t steadily rising in volume, he might try telling her it was hopeless preventing anyone from standing around and bickering.

“Aw, still sore about losing?”

“Losing? West, tell her who won!”

“I don’t-”

“Guys does anyone have a phone charger? My phone’s realll low and if y’all could lend me one-”

“Shut the fuck up Raymond, unless you recorded the race on your phone-”

“N-no…”

“Then shut up.”

“EVERYONE SHUT UP!”

Shatter Squad whipped around to face Carolina, stunned into silence. Damn, when he attempted leading on Chorus, no one was this cooperative!

“I don’t care who has the highest marks or who won what race. From what the AOD reported on Viper, they have incredible armor enhancements and fighting techniques which left Falcon Base massacred. Unless you plan on joining their body count, I suggest you learn to work together and follow our instructions. Is. That. Clear?”

The three young recruits nodded meekly. The two older soldiers stood unphased, clearly used to working on a real squad before.

The gruff orange one spoke up next, “I think I should head back to Falcon Base, see if I can gather any intel.”

The yellow one (Raymond, he still held a dying cell phone) perked up at the suggestion, “I can hack into the victims’ helmet cams! I know that’s a bit morbid, but we should get a good view of the action. Not like, in a movie way but-“

“You’ve made your point rookie. I also recommend sending our vehicles out to our local mechanic Tiny. Axel knows where it is.”

Carolina nodded at Ea-Ax-West! He was West!’s suggestions. Wash, feeling a tad awkward for standing there silently for so long trying to keep track of everything, added, “I, um, wouldn’t mind seeing some training from the others. Give them some pointers, y’know.”

“Then it’s settled. Agents West and Raymond, head out to Falcon Base, report back with anything you find. Agent Axel and I will drop the Warthogs off with Tiny, before heading over to where Agent Washington is watching Agents One and East train. Understood?”

And while Carolina’s “Understood?” was asked to the room, Wash couldn’t help but feel she directed it at him specifically.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One was wrong earlier. Well, One was usually wrong, but she was particularly incorrect a few minutes ago. East knew training rooms better than this entire squad combined. Not this particular one, but the ones back in Starlight Labs. Burst Step. Holo-Echo. An advancement for science. Despicable.

“Hey...East? Are you alright?”

She looked behind her in slight surprise to hear Washington address her. Why had he? Oh, of course. She must have subconsciously started rubbing against the scars through her armor again. Well, the light variants anyway. She lowered her arms, facing forward once more. “I’m fine. Let’s get this over with.”

One, who eagerly ran ahead, leaned out the door frame as she spoke, “Get this over with? Fighting is the best part!”

Fighting? East fought her whole damn life. She hated fighting. This was Phase’s plan, not hers. But showing weakness never saved anyone. She marched inside like a good experiment should.

One flicked on the training simulation. The machinery whirred to life as Washington grabbed a spot in the spectator booth. Turrets and mechanical guards, simple enough.

One immediately launched into shooting the turrets, clearly attempting to prove to the freelancer her physical prowess. East honestly didn’t care, but still shot any guards near her. It was a nice bit of anger management anyway.

As he came down the steps, Washington reviewed, “Well that was, good. Might I ask why neither of you assisted the other?”

One scoffed, “I don’t need help. Deal with the major threats and move on. If weak links want to fight each other, not my problem.”

“Uh-huh. And you East?”

She shrugged. What did he want her to say? She was part of the fractured mind and soul of an 18-year-old captured in hard light technology. Training to stop Phase from destroying the AOD and Starlight Labs was counterproductive.

Thankfully she didn’t have to come up with a response, as Carolina and Axel strode through the entrance.

"That was fast,” stated Washington in surprise.

“Eh, Tiny’s a wonderful mechanic,” commented Axel casually.

“She was certainly...interesting,” added Carolina before asking, “How’s training gone?”

“Accuracy-wise? Fantastic. Teamwork-wise? Not so much. One thinks a lot like you did Carolina.”

“That so? Well then, how about you two girls face me? Let’s see what you're truly made of.”


	3. How You Remind Me

Jamie lunged at Agent Carolina first. Even if Axel wasn’t currently spectating the battle, he’d know that. Carolina easily blocked her blows before casually tossing her to the ground.

Carolina glanced between his daughter and East, who still lurked back, before emphasizing, “If you plan to hit me anytime soon, I suggest you two learn to work together.”

Credit to Jamie, as she stood back up she didn’t rush at Carolina immediately, instead turning towards East with an annoyed scoff of, “Well?”

East hesitated for a moment longer before attempting a leaping kick, getting her swatted out of the air. That was about the most teamwork Jamie tolerated before returning to her series of punches. Before Jamie could get knocked down again, East ran at lightning speeds, successfully kicking Carolina down first.

“What the hell was that?”

“Burst step, Agent One. If you spent more time learning about your allies, you would know.”

As the fight resumed, he surprisingly heard Agent Washington speak up beside him, “Soooo...was that an armor enhancement?”

“Wait, did you not read up on our files like your partner did?”

Axel wasn’t judging, he merely expected both Freelancers to proactively read ahead. He was a bit confused by the way Washington responded to the question though, as if he wasn’t certain either. After a few more seconds of Washington floundering for a proper response, Axel decided to answer his earlier question.

“No, it’s not an armor enhancement. It’s superspeed gained from alien lab tech. Somewhat draining,” he noted, seeing East glitch with blue lightning as she stumbled back up again.

“And...the rest of you?”

(“Tell me, could you do the same as West? Sacrifice Jamie to their appalling experiments?” He didn’t know, didn’t want to know, just wanted him to shut up. He hadn’t meant to shoot his best friend off the cliff but his hands were shaking and--)

Axel shook his head, clearing the bad memory away and returning to the present. He realized that could also work as his response to Washington and added, “Only human I’m afraid. Though Jamie certainly wishes she could be more some days.”

“Jamie?”

“Agent One.”

“Are you two...close?”

“She’s my adopted daughter.”

“Oh. Oh! So that means...there are…two father-daughter pairs on Shatter Squad?”

“Yep.”

“And are you and...West here to look after them?”

He looked back down at the action and watched Jamie and East attempt tag-teaming Carolina, smiling beneath his helmet. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a start. “Partially. Don’t tell her though. Wouldn’t want to ruin that cool reputation she’s trying to build.”

If Wash was curious what the other reasons were for rejoining Shatter Squad, he thankfully didn’t ask. As Carolina knocked the exhausted kids to the ground once more, it was clear training was over.

“I hope today’s practice taught you something. I know it sounds cheesy, but the greatest strength you can have is fighting along someone you care about.”

“Whatever grandma,” huffed Jamie, but her gaze hovered on Axel for a few seconds anyway.

No, Jamie was a bit cocky, but she was fine. It was East he worried about, as she flickered weakly on the ground.

He walked over and offered his hand to her, but she hissed in contempt and stood up on her own. “Don’t touch me.”

“God, can you not be such a bitch for five minutes?”

Oh Jamie. Don’t do this now. He needed to sit her down and talk to her about East soon, but her firecracker attitude made it difficult.

“Y’know, if it wasn’t for you, I would have beaten her. You're the so-called weak link who can’t even land a proper hit.”

“If it wasn’t for your power, you wouldn’t even be here! You cheat in everything and then have the nerve to look down on us! At least the rest of us are trying!”

“Newsflash One, there’s no cheating in the army. There’s only those strong enough to survive and the dead. And please, you look down on everyone, you're just not good enough to back it up!”

“ENOUGH! Both of you, cut it out!” Axel held out his arms as he stood in between the two. Jamie crossed her arms and sulked like she did growing up. East fizzled once more before storming off, prompting Jamie to do the same in the opposite direction. He sighed in frustration.

Agent Washington approached hesitantly, “Hey...Axel? If you're done dealing with..that, we’re supposed to train with all of Shatter Squad. So-”

“Yeah, sparring sounds good.”

As Axel readied for a friendly match against Washington, this time with Carolina spectating, he could only hope West and Raymond had more success.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Damn, do you see these power-ups? Did they steal this stuff too? Do you think the AOD will lend us some if we ask realll nicely?”

West sighed. Raymond was relatively quiet earlier, but once they accessed the tech, he began to ramble on excitedly.

“I mean look at this knife! You throw it and it teleports you where it lands!”

He watched Danyell on-screen impale a woefully unprepared guard before bamfing to a new target. A nearby cackle from Diesel sounded offscreen, followed by the noise of a rocket launcher exploding.

Saying he worried for his daughter was an understatement. He knew what East was. He knew the gist of why Viper was doing this. Goodness knows Danyell and Zero (back when he was still codename One) screamed it at him often enough.

Yes, staring at the screen of people who would gladly murder him in revenge with weaponry far above their’s wasn’t comforting. He was also on edge by the occasional sounds he could hear around them. Raymond labeled the place spooky at first, but talked himself into believing it was nothing. A rookie mistake indeed. The veteran soldier tightened his grip on his gun.

“Well Agent Raymond, is there anything of value in this footage, or shall we report back empty-handed?”

He could see Raymond's disappointment at his lack of tech enthusiasm, but they needed to get out of here, the sooner the better. The atmosphere felt off. Another sound off to his right. He looked at the shadows, but saw nothing.

Raymond examined the captures he’d compiled further. It appeared he was about to call it off too, when he paused, “Hey West, check this out.”

West leaned forward to get a better look. It was the main room the Viper squad raided for whatever this alien artifact was. Besides from more dying guards, West wasn’t sure what he was seeing.

Raymond, sensing his confusion, pointed at the transport box that was later torn open and discarded, “See those numbers?”

“Transport coordinates, what about ‘em?”

“Well, there’s the numbers for this base here, but what about the others? I studied all about the Alliance of Defense for my first day here and those don’t look familiar at all.”

He paused, considering what that meant. The AOD collected the box when examining the aftermath. West assumed it was merely evidence, but if those coordinates lined up with wherever the artifact originally came from then-

He’d barely heard the familiar click in time before pushing Raymond to the ground. The blast of a gunshot struck the wall where they’d stood seconds before. This time Diesel’s maniacal laughter wasn’t from the screen, nor was Zero’s smug accent that followed, “Well well well. Seems you located the first temple for us, how kind of you.”

“Wait, how long have you been here?” Raymond's tone was less paranoid than West expected and more curious sounding.

“Long enough to hear-”

“No no I get that. I mean, how long were you guys standing in the darkness? Were you here before us and hid when we got here, or did you have a silent alarm set up? Or, wait, you haven’t crept around for days hoping someone would give you the answer-” Raymond didn’t get to finish the sentence as another warning shot went off above them. He yelped in surprise and fell silent.

“As I was saying,” there was a clear note of annoyance in Zero’s voice now, “thank you so much for your help, but I’m afraid we can’t have you following us, now can we?’

“Oh my god, are they gonna kill us? You can’t kill the rookie on the first day, you're supposed to kill us on our last day while we’re heading home to our families!”

“...Does he come with an off button?” questioned Danyell irritably and god did West have a million things he wished he could tell her. He barely noticed Diesel’s eager show of an off button at them, leaving Raymond whimpering in fear, before Danyell lowered Diesel’s weapon with her hand, “We’re not killing _him_ , not yet.”

“Doesn’t mean we can’t kill the yellow one.”

“...Fair point.”

Before Diesel could threaten Raymond more, West interjected, “First killing low-level workers and now a brand-new soldier who's completely outmatched. Your new squad is really number One, huh Zero.”

Despite her earlier objections, Danyell’s hand was on her knife the moment he spoke. Diesel snarled, a sharp contrast from his normal upbeat mood. But it was Zero who was in charge and he curled his hands into fists. West suspected Zero wanted to attack him, but he held back and instead spoke, pure hatred in his tone for his ex-coworker, “Fine. You want to see how powerful we are? You want to see who truly deserved to lead Shatter Squad? We’ll spare you until your little team is less pathetic, and then, we finish this once and for all. Knock them out.”

“Wait, knock us out? That’s not really necessary, is it?”

Diesel barely acknowledged Raymond as he prepared to whack him across the head, “Would you prefer death? I’d be happy to comply.”

“N-nope, unconsciousness is great, my favorite actually. 10/10 would black out again.”

“Perfect,” and struck him probably harder than necessary. 

West glanced up at Danyell as she prepared to do the same. Yes, he could apologize to her forever, but there was no point, not now. Like how starting a gunfight wouldn’t amount to anything. On the slim chance he wasn’t destroyed, he still wouldn’t take the shot at Danyell, and that would be his undoing.

He attempted to weakly reason instead, “You don’t have to do this.”

“Funny how I suddenly have a choice when it inconveniences you.”

“Danyell-”

“It’s Phase.”

Before he could react, there was a sharp blow of pain to the back of his head and then darkness.


	4. We Can Be Bad, We Can Be Good

Their footsteps echoed loudly through the interior of the temple. Torches lit up the old rocky walls, contrasted by the hints of alien technology here and there. Diesel kept his grip on the glowing sword he’d acquired at Falcon Base, the other hand ready to grab his rocket launcher if necessary. According to that yellow kid, their next mission lay here, a far cry from the human-made metal facility they invaded before.

Diesel would gladly take this musty arena over their previous locale. Those facilities brought back bad memories for all of them. He couldn’t believe the AOD still managed to find any bootlickers left to work for them after the crimes they committed. Sure it wasn’t public news yet in the way Freelancer and Charon Industries were recently exposed, but once Viper finished them, they’d make sure everyone knew what happened in Starlight Labs and its fellow offshoots.

“Diesel.”

He walked over to his commanding officer, inserting the key into the matching part Zero found. The temple suddenly whirred to life, futuristic alien guardians appearing before them. 

The largest one, brandishing duel flaming swords, spoke warningly, “The power you seek will summon forth the harbinger of destruction. Step forth mortals, if you dare.”

Diesel smirked eagerly. Zero didn’t explain what the “ultimate power” was, but a harbinger of destruction down on all those who deserved it? Now they were talking. 

The clear solution was to rid the room of the smaller aliens first while dodging the huge one, before triple-teaming him. In silent agreement, the three scattered to different targets. The guardians clearly weren’t prepared for three teleporters. Zero seamlessly swerved between enemy fire while returning his own. Phase performed her favorite move of rapidly tossing her knife followed by herself between nearby targets. Diesel would normally shoot a few rockets, but he did have a shiny new sword to play with. 

He decided to target a fellow small sword-wielding alien. The blades clinked together dangerously. Yes, this was quite fun. He giggled in delight.

Like any good UNSC facility, the AOD unethically experimented with its members. The UNSC apparently found the idea of a controllable super soldier addictive, as the papers had mentioned similar tests once or twice. And like the earlier attempts, it went poorly. Well, for the scientists it had anyway. Diesel thought it went quite well. He chuckled again as he and Phase speared an alien simultaneously.

The giant swung his flaming blades in wider arcs, attempting to stop them from annihilating the rest of his pathetic army. The fire crackled near their head as they teleported at the last-minute. Oh this was so much more exhilarating than those wimpy guards. He hoped Shatter Squad would put up half the fight later.

As the last alien collapsed from Zero’s headshot, the main guardian growled angrily. He charged towards them, blades cracking the ground as they landed. Zero jumped high, teleporting towards his head. Phase attempted to throw off his balance by hitting his legs. That left Diesel with his torso and arms. He switched weaponry to his rocket launcher, shooting towards his chest. Nothing worked.

The guardian paused in his deadly swatting and stomping, causing the team to halt on high-alert. His eyes glowed, and the three immediately fled in different directions as a powerful laser shot out. Phase attempted to reclose the distance, only for the guardian to strike her down with the edge of his sword. She crashed into a rock, temporarily losing hold of her knife. The temple guardian prepared a finishing blow, but Zero and Diesel distracted him with rapid-fire shots to the face and hands. Like hell they’d lose Phase now.

Zero received a laser strike to the midsection. He teleported out of there before he took too much damage, but his movements were shakier. Diesel focused on the main weaponry, losing sight of the guardian’s movement. He gasped in surprise as a forceful kick launched him into the wall. 

Thankfully Phase recovered by this point, As she drew near again, she noticed a large bauble on each foot. Dexterously avoiding being squished, she attached sticky bombs to the one on the right. As they exploded, his right leg collapsed under him. If those were his weak points, what would attacking the orb on his head do? 

The three of them teleported higher and higher, until finally Zero could reach it first with a lift from his allies. He shot it repeatedly until it exploded. With a final roar, the temple guardian was no more. In his place, a glowing sword shimmered.

With Zero having administered the last blow, he reached towards the weaponry. Another key secured, he laughed victoriously in a way Diesel could appreciate. 

While he swung it around, Phase spoke up, “So do we know the next destination this time or…?”

Zero halted in his practice, but spoke calmly, “Have patience my dear. Remember when we examined the computers in Falcon Base our second time through?”

“Yes. They redacted everything important though. It’s why we needed those pests’ help.”

“Not everything…”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Raymond knew army work was dangerous, but he sure as hell hadn’t expected that. He figured he’d run some drills, fix up their armor a bit, and then later fight off Viper in some triumphant display. Not leave the med bay on his first day with only the reassurance their power armor kept either of them from serious head wounds. 

By the time they woke up and reported back, they determined chasing after Viper to the temple was futile. It would be far better to ambush them somewhere with everyone ready. If only they knew where the next target was...

With some time before Ray needed to report to the Freelancers for his training session, he decided to see what Tiny did to their vehicles. He hadn’t met the mechanic yet, so he figured now was as good a time as any.

The moment he entered the room, the tall girl spun around in excitement, “Heyyyy. Here to check out the cars? You guys are gonna loveee what I did to them~!”

Tiny was very...enthusiastic in her movements, every word punctuated by eager body language. Raymond’s small nod felt underwhelming in comparison.

“Alright alright, give me a minutttte,” she immediately ran off, returning shortly afterward in a car completely different from what they gave her.

“Is that-?”

“Yuppp! Introducing, the Black Knight Artillery Command Vehicle! This baby has everything! Couture leather with heated seats, vanity mirrors with ring lights for influencers, extra-large cup holders, the Boom Boom Room Extreme sound system, parallel park assist, an all-terrain vehicle in the back, and best of allll, Nanotech’s stealth camouflage mode! Your car is like, a mood ring. Amazing, I know.”

“...How is this even physically possible?”

“I’m very talented.”

“It’s not even been a day yet.”

“I know! I still have to fix up the other one.”

“What happened to the guns?”

“Ew, who wants those?”

“We’re in the army.”

“And??? You're like, holding one.”

After a minute of confused staring, Ray realized something, “How did you get all this stuff?”

“I’m the mechanic?”

“Right, but who gave you all this equipment?”

“Command?”

“So we can call them up for supply requests?”

“I mean, yeah, we’re in the army, duh.”

“...Right.”

He activated the radio channel as Tiny returned to admiring her design.

“Agent Raymond calling Command. Come in Command.”

“Go ahead Agent Raymond, we have you.”

“Yeah, do you think we could receive some armor and weapon upgrades?”

“Depends. What sort of upgrades are you requesting?”

“Maybe some of the equipment Viper has? Teleportation and the like.”

“Negative. Viper stole experimental equipment, unauthorized for general usage.”

Experimental equipment that works too well. Ray didn’t have the authority to argue though, so instead he asked, “May we receive any kind of technical help? I can install it myself whatever it is.”

“We have a big shipment coming into Starlight Labs in three days time at twelve hundred hours. We can deliver resources then.”

“Thank you. Agent Raymond out.”

As he clicked his radio off, Tiny spoke up, “Welll, what’d you get?”

“Not sure, whatever Starlight Labs gives us in a few days I guess.”

“Oh neat! Their tech is like, woah.”

“Yeah…” 

Raymond hesitated from leaving, uncertain what to do now. Should he head to the training room early? Would that interrupt West?

“Want to keep admiring your new jeep? It is really shiny huh?”

“No...I just…”

“Just what?”

Tiny cocked her head like a curious dog. Well, talking to her might help. He glanced around for a place to sit. Tiny patted the inside of the Black Knight, and Raymond crawled inside as she joined him.

“Damn, it’s comfy in here now.”

“Told youuu~. Now what’s wrong, um-”

“Raymond.”

“What’s wrong Ray-Ray?”

“I just,” he sighed, “I feel like I don’t fit into Shatter Squad.”

“Well yeah, you're new! You gotta give it time silly.”

“I know, but I read everyone’s files before I got here. Shatter Squad is full of family relations and old friends. And then there’s me.”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“I dunno. One and East shout over me, West seems to find me annoying. I guess I’m just afraid I’m wasting everyone’s time.”

“Aw, well I don’t find you annoying or a waste of time! Did you know when I first joined the army, people said I was annoying? The freakishly tall girl who never shuts up. But I was like, screw the haters! I’m gonna be the best damn mechanic ever! And now I am! And I have new friends like you!”

“We’re friends?”

“Yeah! Unless, you think I’m obnoxious too?” Her whole body trembled at the thought.

Raymond couldn’t protest fast enough, “No! No no no! You're great, really!”. She was still tense in disbelief, so he added, “I think you're just really creative? But in a good way! A way that catches people off guard at first until they have a proper conversation with you?”

She relaxed the rest of the way and added, “Yeah, not many people talk to me unless it’s about work. Which is weird because the army is always standing around and talking?”

“Well then I guess I’ll just have to visit more often.”

Raymond yelped in surprise as she gave her best sitting-down hug. “Oh you mean it Ray-Ray? You're the best!”

Raymond didn’t form a response before his radio sounded, “Agent Raymond, you there? This is Agent West. You're up on training.”

“Roger that. I’m in the mechanic wing, I’ll be over ASAP.”

“See to it rookie.”

Tiny unwrapped her arms from his torso as she noted, “Sounds like you gotta head out?”

“Yeah. Target practice with the Freelancers.”

“Oooh, training with the big leagues?”

“It’s kinda nerve-wracking honestly.”

She playfully whacked his back as he moved to exit the vehicle, “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it! I’m sure everything will be fine. Even better once Starlight delivers!”

“Literally, since it’s coming in some big shipment.”

“Oh, like what Falcon Base got?”

What.

“Yeah! I mean, that’s why Viper attacked the first time right? Gee, you don’t think they’ll raid this one too, do you?”

Fuck.


	5. Why Do We Worry At All?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zero and Phase will get their POV chapter soon, but for now...

Morning sunlight shined through the windows into the quiet base. It was day two of training, which wouldn’t be so troublesome if not for Agent Raymond’s report last night. While Shatter Squad was full of decent fighters, they weren’t nearly ready to face off against Viper in two days time. Carolina took another sip from her coffee in contemplation, putting it down as footsteps neared the kitchen door. A moment longer and a familiar spiky blonde walked in.

“Morning David.”

“Morning,” he replied groggily, turning towards the cabinets to see what food was around.

Carolina watched him for a second before green eyes flicked down to the scar on his neck. She shouldn’t fret over him like this. Nothing about his actions yesterday was particularly alarming, and no one on Shatter Squad said a word if they even noticed. All their friends believed in him, she should too. 

She snapped her eyes back up the moment he turned around, acting as if she never looked down; and watching as he joined her at the table, fruit in hand. As he began peeling a banana, he quietly spoke up, “So yesterday, did you notice anything off about...East?”

“Off is an understatement. Did you try using your BioScan on her yesterday? I tried during training. It doesn’t work. At all.”

The confusion in his eyes made her regret her answer, which she knew was stupid. He knew East’s name, he remembered at least some events from yesterday, hell he even found the kitchen while still half-asleep. Caboose has far more brain problems than Wash, and yet she doesn’t worry like this over him.

Wash finished his bite of banana before answering, “I didn’t...I mean I might have but that’s not why...are you saying she’s an AI?”

Carolina shook her head, “I don’t think so. Her body doesn’t seem robotic, otherwise she wouldn’t have exhausted herself yesterday. But between that and the flickering, there’s definitely something bizarre going on here. What was it you noticed?”

“Well before you arrived, I saw her...uh…” he trailed off, looking desperate for words she wished she could offer. His features filled with frustration as he continued, “It was...important, or at least, concerning. I know I wanted to ask if you think I should talk to her but….did you really not see anything else?”

“Nothing else out of the ordinary. I’m sorry Wash.”

“Don’t say it like that.”

“Like how?”

“Like you have to apologize for not hanging around 24/7. You're not my nurse Carolina, I’m not mad you don’t know the answer. Really, I’m just mad at this stupid neck wound.”

She sighed, “I know. I just-”

“Wish I could do more. That you’ve said enough to ingrain into my memory,” he gave a small smile Carolina weakly attempted to match, “You broke all of time for me. I couldn’t ask for anything more. Seriously, I think those AI gods would try to smite us again if I did.” 

Earning an actual small laugh from Carolina, widened Wash’s smile. After a beat of silence where Wash switched over to an apple, the redhead added, “For what it’s worth, I think you should talk to East.”

“I don’t even know what I want to talk to her about.”

She shrugged, “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. “

“At least one of us believes in me.”

It took all her willpower not to choke on her coffee, and she could only hope her smile afterward was half as convincing.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An hour later and the base was more alive with activity. One girl in particular was far more awake than the rest.

“A bit early for target practice eh?”

Another bullet hit its mark before Jamie responded, “Hey if we’re gonna fight those schmucks soon, I gotta get my aim in right?”. She let loose a headshot this time, and Axel tried very hard not to think about that same gun aimed at Zero.

“Right...well I came here to tell you we’re doing warm-ups in 15. But since we’re both here anyway, I wanted to talk to you about-”

“Oh god please not a lecture, it’s way too early for that.”

“But not too early for gun practice.”

“Are you planning to talk the enemy to death or shoot them?”

(“Please, if we just sit down and talk about this-” “I’ve tried talking over and over. Now is the time for action, for power.”)

“Sooo are you planning to silently judge me for 15 min because I’d rather you talk in that case.”

What? Oh right. “I wanted to discuss East with you.”

“Oh god not her.”

“That right there. You know she had a rough life growing up-”

“Join the club.”

“-and I think it’s best not to pick fights with her anymore.”

“I’m not picking fights, she overreacts to everything! Why can’t West ever reign her in?”

“She was born with a fatal disease. West got her into treatment, but it was..unconventional to say the least.”

“Wow, so she didn’t die and got superpowers out of it. Truly a tragedy for the ages.”

“It’s not that simple-”

“Yeah your right. Let’s not forget how she treats her father like shit after everything he did for her. You know some people would do anything to get one last conversation with their parents.” She said it in the same indifferent tone as the rest of the sentences, but her hands were shaking. The next shot hit the wall making her curse. 

“Jamie-”

“Oh don’t worry, I clearly see what a wonderful martyr East is and how we should all worship at her feet.”

“I...listen, the procedures she went through-”

“What, a bit of surgery or radiation or whatever? Yeah it probably sucked but-”

“It’s not that black and white okay?! ” This time she missed when she jumped in surprise at his sudden yelling. She lowered her pistol and turned to face him for the first time all morning, her confident demeanor faded. “Sometimes things are messy and complicated.”

“Well yeah but-”

“Sometimes good people make the wrong choices, but it doesn’t mean we should vilify them! Sometimes corporations are corrupt! Lashing out at the world won’t fix anything One!”

“...You never call me One. Are you okay? Are we still talking about East or…?”

He was breathing heavily, had his volume steadily rose the whole time? The tone in her voice sounded worried and slightly scared. No no, he needed to get outside and calm down. He shouldn’t burden his precious daughter like this.

He shrugged off her hand on his shoulder and speed walked to the door, “I-I’ll see you in 5 in the main training room.”

“What? No, dad, wait!”

He ran before she could move to stop him. When he got outside, he ripped off his helmet and slunk down quivering into the dirt.


	6. Move Along

Something was...off today. For West, this wasn’t all that unusual. The day he committed Danyell to treatment was the day he became the constant source of gossip and side eyes, if not outright judgement to his face. But for once, the slight tension wasn’t merely Danyell’s loathing of him. 

West didn’t know One well, but he did have the impression she was naturally competitive. So when Washington ordered several laps around the gym (which earned a groan from Raymond), West figured One would challenge Danyell’s Holo-Echo to a race or at least quip about her Burst Step some more. Instead, the blue youth was strangely quiet this morning, especially compared to her enthusiastic energy earlier. 

Despite what Danyell would deny, he was still a father, and so it was paternal instinct encouraging him to match One’s pace.

“Agent One. Your performance is a bit off today.”

“Apologizes sir. I’ll do better during the actual practice. Warm-up is a bit dull, y’know?”

“Did something else happen between you and Da-East?”

“Negative. Last I spoke to her was yesterday afternoon. Why, did she say something?”

“No, I...nevermind. Just know if something’s bothering you, you can talk to me. I may command you, but I’m also your ally.”

“Yes sir,” but her response was mechanical in a way that made him frown. Shatter Squad should feel they can rely on him for more than battle. Sure he sounded gruff and had a track record of questionable decisions, but he wasn’t callous no matter what Danyell and Zero said. 

With a weary sigh, he slowed down to match up with Axel. If anyone knew One, it was him. Besides, Axel was one of the only soldiers from the GLASS days of the AOD who didn’t think he was despicable. Axel tried his best to increase West’s reputation with the other soldiers back in the day, and he could certainly use some of that genuine nice guy wisdom now.

“Axel.”

“West.”

“Agent One is quiet today. Is she not a morning person?”

Axel lightly snorted at the thought, “Jamie hates sleeping, calls it a waste of time. I swear she races to wake up the fastest even in her dreams.”

“So what do you make of her recent behavior?”

Axel shook his head, but West noticed he nervously flexed his fingers a few times. Finally he deflected with, “I saw you talking to her, what did she say?”

“Merely that warm-up bores her.”

“Then I’m sure that’s all it is.” 

West let out a hmm in disbelief. It wasn’t like Axe to lie to him. He wanted to press the issue more, but unfortunately they finished their last lap at that moment. 

Aside from Agent Raymond’s panting, the recruits lined up quietly in front of the Freelancers once more. 

“Good work squad. Now for your next activity…” Agent Washington trailed off awkwardly.

Agent Carolina was quick to finish the sentence as if that was the plan all along, “...We were thinking, after yesterday’s hand-to-hand, the five of you need to brush up on your shooting skills. But first, Agents Axel and West, mind showing the others how teamwork on targets is done?

A procedure routine enough Axel and West could pull it off without speaking, which for once was a tad annoying. Not one to disobey orders though, the two flicked on the normal guard and turret simulation. Even covering each other seamlessly, there wasn’t exactly an opportunity to suddenly accuse one of your oldest friends of lying. Besides, he was acting selfish again. If they didn’t want him butting into their family situation, could he blame them? He sure as hell wasn’t winning any father of the year awards.

Once the two finished, Washington asked for One and Danyell to reattempt the course, this time with Raymond’s assistance. As the three motioned to swap positions with Axel and himself, West figured he might as well see how many people could shoot him down verbally in a single day.

“Good luck sweetie.”

“Fuck you.”

Yup, a solid 3/3. Maybe by the end of the day he could hit a record 6/6.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Raymond hoped when he joined the army all he’d have to do was follow a handful of orders, prove his tech skills to his commanding officer, and hide in the back so as not to die. Shoot a rocket launcher as a sneak attack, that sounded cool. Then his clearly foolproof plan would end in celebration and popularity.

This was the opposite of all that. These were turrets and robotic enemies, and if he let off a few panicked shots that missed, could anyone blame him? No orders, an example demonstration far more impressive than helpful, and two teammates who stuck to their own little bubble.

Needless to say, the others weren’t impressed. As if expecting such a poor showing (rude), Carolina was already fiddling with the simulation controls, “It’s clear you three need a more convincing practice session. Luckily, I know just the solution.”

Raymond and the others backed up a bit as the floor setup changed. This new area was a tad mazelike, with plenty of walls. He didn’t see any turrets or guards this time, but there were two new tables on the outside offering special training guns and ammo. Ray didn’t recognize it, but Washington let out a groan.

“Gods, paint training, really? They weren’t that bad Carolina.”

“Hey, it’s not a punishment if you don’t get hit.”

“Still not real advice.”

Were they about to play...paintball? He’d heard paintball bruised, but they were in military grade armor, how bad could it be?

“I’m thinking you and me vs the kids. West, Axel; you can switch off with us in a few rounds.”

Maybe it was nerves talking, but something about this didn’t seem fair, and he didn’t mean the fact they had an extra player. If One and East also sensed their team was about to get their ass horribly kicked, they didn’t show it. In fact One was...confident?

“Bring it on old-timers.”

Carolina didn’t even hesitate, “Tell ya what, if you manage to hit me, you can take the rest of the day off.”

Yup, they were fucked.

They started heading towards the table, but the three of them halted and looked back when they heard a sharp, “Hold on”. 

“Leave all your weapons in the spectator booth. I don’t want to see any live fire or explosions while we’re out there,” Carolina sounded more stern than usual. Washington nodded along morosely. Did they have a bad experience before or something?

“Pssh, c’mon grandma. We’re not cheaters. Well, not all of us anyway.”

Before East could make a comeback, Carolina let out a harsh, “Now, Agent One. That’s an order”. As they dropped off their weapons, Ray swore he could hear a light snicker from East as One huffed in annoyance.

Now cleared to grab the paint guns, Raymond whispered to his team, “So like, what’s the plan?”

For once it was East who spoke up instead of One, “Shoot them.”

“Yeah but like, how do we not get shot?”

“Move.”

Uh-huh. Maybe it wasn’t too late to radio Tiny and get an out. 

No, he couldn’t abandon them. Not if he wanted them to finally respect him. Reluctantly, he joined his team at the arena entrance. Carolina and Washington stood on the opposing side. Here goes nothing.

As the starting alarm sounded, One and East rushed ahead, which seemed foolish. As Ray ducked behind a wall, the sound of paintfire and some surprised yelps was less than comforting. Maybe he could just stay here forever? He looked up at Axel and West in the booth, who were talking. Discussing their performance? Well, he really should give them something satisfactory to mention. 

Raymond courageously leapt out from the wall…

...Only to get immediately pegged by sticky pink paint. Why did it sting so bad? God it felt like dodgeball with rocks. 

He looked up at the Freelancers whose armor still shined triumphantly, “That’s point one for us.”

...Several rounds of failure later, and he was pretty sure their team was getting worse instead of better. After the latest attempt where East crashed into the three of them with her burst step and left them a painted pink pile, Ray was sore all over and thoroughly frustrated. As the Freelancers switched off with the other half of Shatter Squad, he gave a pitiful look through his visor, hoping they would psychically read it and go easy on them. As Axel approached him instead of joining West, he wondered if his telepathic plea was heard. 

“Hey Raymond, I noticed you were a bit jittery out there, and not just from adrenaline. It’s difficult in the heat of the moment, but try to calm yourself. Focus on your reason for fighting. The more confident you are, the better your shot will be.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“I know it's not,” he patted his shoulder reassuringly before heading to his starting line.

Raymond took a deep breath. Calm, right. The buzzer sounded once again. East immediately dashed towards West, making no secret of her target. Raymond was a bit surprised One didn’t run after her, instead lurking along with him.

“Tired out?”

“Nah. Just thinking.”

Raymond nearly quipped about not realizing she thought anything out before recognizing that would definitely get him a face full of friendly fire. He peaked around the corner instead, watching East ready her aim. West made no motion to raise his gun, and for a second he thought they might succeed for once before Axel unceremoniously got her side. The two started heading in their direction, and ah fuck, what did Axe say? Focus on why he was here? But what if his reason was sort of shitty and selfish? Then what?

“Hey One?”

“We’re kinda in the middle of something Raymond.”

“I know but, why are you here?”

“Because I’m number One, now shut it with the philosophy and move!”

With that, One rolled out-of-the-way of incoming paint. Raymond barely turned a corner in time and tried hard to steady his breathing. Don’t panic, where are they? He could hear footsteps nearby and paint smacking stone. 

With one last shaky breath he swung into the open, aimed, and... hit someone? Holy fuck. 

He didn’t exactly have time to feel bad at using Axel’s advice against him as the sting from West’s shot got him. But who cares, he succeeded at something!

“Did you see that shit East?”

A grunt from the paint covering her helmet indicated she probably didn’t.


	7. I Hate Everything About You

Waiting. Zero wasn’t fond of such an activity. At Falcon Base, the moment the package reached the building, they tore through the AOD forces like confetti. Any other base in existence, and Viper would repeat their conquest. But when discussing Starlight Labs, the idea of entering merely for a quick slaughter was...unsatisfying. No, with the Ultimate Power, they would teach those sociopathic scientists true suffering. 

For now, Zero perched upon the neighboring rooftop, sniper rifle in hand. Once he gave the signal, Phase and Diesel would steal the next sword under the cover of an explosion. Hopefully this was the last piece to the final temple. 

He didn’t dare tell the others, but his details on the Ultimate Power were...hazy at best. It started as a rumor he overheard, but the idea to pursue it didn’t settle in until he was supposedly KIA. He knew it connected to the temples on this planet, and it needed alien weaponry to unlock. The rest though...well it’s not exactly a topic you can read in a book. 

They were in too deep to question it now though. Through the zoom on his rifle, he spotted their target. One radio call later and chaos erupted below. The panicked shrieks as those laboratory fools received a faceful of shrapnel was too rich. Serves them right. Before he could teleport down to meet Viper, his radio sounded off with Phase’s brief, “East is nearby.”

Oh? So West and his pathetic Shatter Squad wanted a proper meeting after that pitiful introduction last time? Does he honestly think a few days could match their level of power? Zero chuckled at the thought.

He swung his rifle around searching for, ah yes. Two covered jeeps, coming out of camouflage, into some rather gaudy colors he might add. He shot towards Shatter Squad’s wheels as Viper sped off in their armored car. The yellow and green jeep did its best to swerve out of firing range as it pursued his men, while the orange jeep ducked into a nearby alley. 

He looked around for the orange vehicle, knowing Phase and Diesel could handle themselves. The rooftop door swung open causing him to turn around, and he was hardly surprised at who would dare face him directly.

“Deja vu, old friend,” a beat of silent staring and then Zero couldn’t help but add, “Hoping to kill the same man twice? In the same way no less. Honestly Axel, I thought the years would make you more creative.”

A shuddering breath and then, “It was an accident.”

This was it then? One of the soldiers considered stronger than him, who got a place on the original Shatter Squad while he was left with false reassurances and increasing manipulations he’d lead some hypothetical secondary squad, turned to an uneasy mess?

It would be funny if it weren’t so sad.

“You know, I had an opportunity to shoot you first all those years ago, but I let you go. Do you know why that was?”

“...We were friends.”

“That’s right. My friend who listened to all the reasons the AOD’s divisions were corrupt, who saw it with his own damn eyes. And _yet_ , when it was finally time to act, who did you choose ‘friend’?”

“It wasn’t like that….”

“See that’s the crazy thing, because I distinctly remember you hunting me down and claiming you weren’t a traitor. But the scar in my chest says otherwise,” Zero tapped his weapon contemplatively, “I wonder how proud your family was of you then. I’m sure you received a nice shiny medal.”

“Please stop.”

Oh he could go on forever, wanted to even, but a grappling hook up the side of the building so rudely interrupted.

“Axel, the others need you, what’s going on up here?”

The intruder was cyan colored, and vaguely familiar. Had the AOD hired outside help? Was version two of the Shatter Squad so much more feeble than the first?

“Stand down Carolina, I got this.”

Carolina? Yes, he’s sure he read about her somewhere. Wasn’t she one of those Freelancers? Regardless, “No, stay and hear the yarns Axel’s spinning. It’s a wonderful display of denial.”

“What is he talking about?’

While Carolina was momentarily distracted questioning Axel, Zero looked back behind him and bamfed onto the orange car below. The vehicle swerved harshly, attempting to knock him off. Above, he heard a shout before Carolina grabbed Axel and hooked back in his direction. A definite nuisance, but Zero didn’t need to win this fight, he needed to join up with his team and escape. He plunged his sword into the roof to increase his grip on the car, as the two landed next to him. Axel slid down slightly upon his release, leaving Carolina to attack first. 

He kicked at her, expecting hand-to-hand, before her Humbler Stun Device made contact. One painful zap later and he grabbed his sword again, cursing the lack of balance as he came closer to falling off. 

“Maybe drive less crazily?” Axel suggested to West below them.

“No time,” he argued.

He parried Carolina for a few hits before Axel shakily attempted to punch him. No, this is not how his plans would end. He spotted the other two cars in the distance ahead of them. After another shock, he drove his sword down once more, this time aiming to create a solid hole through the jeep. He quickly raised it, chucked a grenade through, and teleported in the direction of the vehicles ahead.

He radioed into Viper to drop back a few feet, glancing briefly at the four escaping soldiers behind him as their jeep burst into flames. He could hear a black and yellow soldier he marginally recognized (another Freelancer?) complain about his hatred of cars after the blast.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Plans were easy when discussed, even if the topic was uncomfortable. It was the execution that tended to backfire. Even before Shatter Squad arrived, Phase squirmed restlessly in the passenger seat beside Diesel. Those awful letters advertising Starlight Laboratory, pretending it was some friendly open building, when it was truly a living hell.

But no no no, she couldn’t dissociate, not now. Later, in whatever hole Zero found for them next she could tune out the world, but not here. If she blacked out and woke up back in a medical cage, well, she didn’t think she’d last for another rescue. 

Grounding exercises, sensing her breath and the armor around her. Hearing Diesel’s morbid jokes only he found particularly funny. Tracing her knife and wishing she could feel the sharpness.

She was glad when the bomb finally exploded, wanted to equip this damn alien blade and skedaddle, when she felt the familiar pull. An internal compass pointed forever East. 

Shatter Squad chased them, rammed them. Zero stopped covering them from above and she feared the worst. But they couldn’t let another artifact get away. 

The blue girl let down the windows to attempt shooting through their’s. An opportunity. A quick knife throw and bamf! She hijacked their car with the blade to the driver (Raymond?’s) throat.

Raymond tried to keep his hands on the wheel as the blue one worked on disarming her. “Goddamnit East, help me!,” the girl urged.

East looked at Phase, as if objectively observing the situation, but Phase knew the truth. She used her free hand to motion a ‘c’mon’. A false taunt, but the others wouldn’t know the difference.

Her alter hesitated a moment more before lightly slugging at her along with the opposition. When Phase swiped her knife at her main opponent instead, East ‘accidentally’ missed a strike and pushed Raymond’s chair instead. He cried out with a “Hey, be careful!”

Before the fight could progress further, she heard her radio echo with orders to drop back. The follow-up explosion provided a nice distraction as Raymond slammed down the brakes, jolting her foe away from her. Phase glanced forward at Diesel who she knew had every intention of plowing through them to return to Zero. 

With a final kick knocking East out of the vehicle, she switched her gaze to Zero. The other half of the Shatter Squad shot at him, approaching directly from the rubble. She felt a gun pointed at her side, but she already had her next destination ready. 

Phase didn’t normally teleport using people, but this was a special case. West flinched as the blade struck his shoulder before she appeared beside him, startling his teammates. She could hear the two younger soldiers evacuate from their smaller car before Diesel crushed it, followed by a distraught, “Aww man, do you think Tiny has a warranty on those parts from the AOD?”

Of course the reason Phase didn’t teleport using people was it left you horribly open. Or at least it would, if Shatter Squad was the least bit competent. West, the absolute jackass, stood in front of her like a fucking martyr despite his bleeding arm. This of course led to traitorous accusations by the younger blue girl (One apparently), while Raymond looked back and forth between Phase and East in wonder. Axel acted like he would rather be anywhere else, and avoided looking directly at anyone.

For a minute, Phase honestly thought she and Zero could teleport back into the armored car and leave before anyone got their shit together. Unfortunately, the remaining two soldiers knew how to stay professional.

“Argue later, we need to stop them,” was all the cyan one commanded as she and her steel-colored partner hooked on top of the truck to retrieve the stolen artifact. Diesel teleported up to meet them as gunfire erupted.

One aimed her own pistol to help, but Zero snatched it from her with a cocky, “Lose something?”. Axel finally snapped to attention and, along with Raymond, the two of them shot off their Magnums towards her commander. 

West motioned to help, but East disarmed him with her burst step, and of course the loser pitifully stared at her through his helmet hoping she’d give it back willingly. Satisfied with her headmate’s work, Phase aimed to close the gap between her and Zero before realizing he...didn’t need any help. The younger ones were far less trained than him, and there was pure malice in each hit towards Axel.

No, who needed help was Diesel. His attempts to knock off the competition proved fruitless as their armor’s Grav Boots stuck to the surface. It’s clear he wanted to use his rocket launcher, but they were too close and he couldn’t abandon the mission. Instead, he’d resorted to hacking at them with his ax-like key, but he remained overwhelmed. 

Phase threw her knife towards the truck and attempted to stab the guy upon entry. He dodged, but the girl changed her aim to Phase as well. Feeling a bit protective, hm? She could work with that. She grabbed the guy and ignored his blows to escape as she teleported back down, away from the rest of the action. The sharp “Dammit!” told her she made the right choice.

The sharp pain from the bullet she received in her leg made her let go, but she’d done enough. Given the opportunity, Diesel launched his rocket launcher with a “Heads up” over their radios. She saw the last-minute glow from Zero’s teleport as the rocket slammed into half of Shatter Squad. 

All the three of them had to do now was jump in the truck and leave, while the other half frantically checked on their teammates. It was too easy, so of course West desperately grabbed his gun from East to stop them, and Diesel heartlessly shot him in the chest before she could object.


	8. It's Alright

Most AOD staff members only showed up when professionally needed by the soldiers, but Tiny wasn’t most faculty. Of course she was gonna congratulate them when they got back from their first huge outing! Or at least, that was the plan...

They were to return in her wonderful creations, not get dropped off in helicopters and swept off to the med bay! She tried to get in, but those mean old doctors rebuffed her. Then she lurked around, where she could hear shouting after a bit. 

She wanted to stay, she really did, but soon they ordered her to fix up the sad scraps of the jeeps. So here she was, left welding metal and tightening bolts while her mind raced a million miles per minute. 

The silence in this section of the base felt deafening compared to the noise in her head, so the moment footsteps finally approached she threw her neck up alertly. Was command checking up on her? Had the doctors arrived to tell her the worst?

No it was-

“Ray-Ray!”

She quite literally jumped on top of him in a rib-crushing hug. 

“I’m-happy-to-see-you-too-but-I’m-in-a-lot-of-pain-so,” he choked out.

“Oh, sorry sorry!,” she pulled away and looked him up and down as he regained air in his lungs. He definitely looked worse for wear, with armor ripped away and an array of bandages applied in its place. 

He noticed her observation and sighed out, “I feel like I got hit by a truck.”

She gasped, then whispered conspiratorially, “Were you?”

He walked past her to his workbench, collapsed in exhaustion, and groaned out, “Nearly. Rocket, actually.”

She slunk down beside him as he pressed his face into the table, “And the others?”

He shrugged defeatedly before turning his head sideways to look at her, “Managing. West is critical.”

Her eyes widened like saucer plates, “Is that...what the yelling was about?”

His full body sigh caused him to wince, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“That bad?”

He shut his eyes tightly, but didn’t respond. She wondered if he was even officially released, or if they ordered him to bed rest in his room. But..he came to her. That means it's her job as a VIF (very important friend) to make him feel better.

“What fish makes the best mechanic?”

He opened his eyes, looking up at her in confusion, “What?”

“A tuner fish!” 

She smiled proudly, but after a few seconds of silence nerves took over. Sure it’s a bad joke but-

“Did you hear about the fire at the circus?”

Wait what-

“It was in-tents!,” he gave a small smile at his own corny joke and she nearly squealed in delight.

That was, until he attempted to stand back up. She quickly pushed him back down with a light touch to his chest, “Woah woah, where do you think you're going? You gotta rest!”

“They dropped off the ‘upgrades’ back in the main entrance. Or at least, what’s left of them. I should grab them if I’m staying in here…”

She sounded a disapproving raspberry. “Nu-uh, no way. Cheesy puns and a full night’s sleep only. We can tinker around with it tomorrow.”

“I can’t relax until I know West will make it. Everything’s such a mess already, with East and everything-”

“What about her?”

“I...no it’s stupid and it’ll lead to more arguing with everyone...”

“It’s not stupid! You're the resident smart guy, it’s probably super genius.”

He shook his head but hesitantly explained anyway, “During the battle, West he...he defended Phase. Like she was…”

“Like?”

“Like she was East. And I had this theory, but it’s…,” and he almost said dumb again before glancing up at her expression, “outlandish.”

“Outlandish theories are fun!”

“I guess...in East’s file it mentioned the tests she experienced. Past the redactions, it mentioned a supposed failure. Holo-echos.”

“Omigosh they tried to turn her into a bat! Or a dolphin! Land dolphin.”

Ray-Ray’s utterly bewildered expression was a sight to behold. And he thought he was the only super genius. Then in case he wasn’t an animal person, “A human submarine! Ping!”

“...Are you talking about echolocation?”

“Yes! And holo means holographic aka a science ghost. Very spooky.”

He nodded slowly as his brain absorbed her words of wisdom. “...Yeah. Well I started wondering, what if the reason she flickers-”

“Is because she is the ghost bat! And Phase is the human!”

“....Yes.”

She leaned in close to him, speaking softly in case East flew nearby without them hearing, “And did you confront her? What did she say?”

“No, everything’s already shit and-”

She startled him out of talking as she determinedly gripped his shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes, “Ray-Ray, as your VIF-”

“My what-”

“I cannot and will not let you commit the heinous trope you're daring to fall into.”

“The underdog?”

“No! Miscommunication! The laziest comedic plot device!”

“Tiny-”

“Nope! You can, must, and will speak to your teammates face to face no matter the consequences! I will lock you in a room with them if I have to!”

“Please don’t.”

“Then~”

“...Then I’ll talk to my teammates about my concerns. I’ll start with West if- _when_ he wakes up.”

She leaned back satisfied, “That’s the spirit! Now, back to those jokes-”

“Oh c’mon Tiny, no need to pun-ish me. I’m already a Ray of sunshine after all!”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Un-fucking-believable. The whole lot of them. They had them cornered! One didn’t lose, wouldn’t have lost without all their bullshit. Now that traitor West is potentially dying and the others all think she’s a bitch for stating her justified opinions.

She stomped down the hall, not giving a damn what pain signals her feet shot back. East harmed more than she helped, Raymond got their vehicle crushed, and those Freelancers let Viper escape. If everyone focused on their duty as an elite squad member, those criminals would be dead or in jail already.

And Axe…

She hesitated outside her door, looking back towards her father’s room. Ever since he booked it out of the shooting gallery, their relationship is a little..off? He still acted fatherly and everything, but anytime she brought up the topic he found a way to disengage. But after today’s clusterfuck, could they keep pretending everything was fine?

Despite the pleas of her aching body, she walked away from the entrance to her warm bed and instead knocked a few doors down. She nearly gave up after a minute of silence, thinking he was somewhere else, when a quiet shaky voice asked, “Who is it?”

Oh boy, maybe this isn’t the day to talk. But fuck it, she’d already made up her mind the moment she came over here, and One never quit. Hoping to lighten the mood she answered, “Best girl obviously.”

She heard a light breathy laugh followed by the sound of the door unlocking. A second later, he opened the door, a strained smile on his face. 

“We look like something the cat dragged in,” she snarked as she let herself in. That didn’t earn a laugh, and looking up as she sunk into the nearest chair left her feeling guilty. All her thoughts that they should have pushed themselves harder, meanwhile her disheveled dad was looking at her in lingering worry as if he wasn’t fully certain she survived getting hit.

But One didn’t know what to do about that, so instead she noted, “Crazy fight huh? Did you hear what Zero was rambling about while we all fought? Called himself my shadow, said I was a failed attempt to recreate him. Dude’s nuts amirite?”

Apparently this was a terrible opening, as the cocktail of emotions crossing his face were anything but positive. He looked towards the door and hell no, not this time. She jumped up, and as he flinched in surprise she blocked the way. 

His exit blocked, he pitifully backed towards his bed like a cornered animal. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before finally spitting out, “Jamie...I can’t. I’m sorry.”

“You can’t what? What is going on?”

He shook his head furiously and collapsed onto the bed, burying his face in his hands with uneven breaths.

Yeah...okay. Maybe the others were right and she was a bitch. The determination for answers draining out of her, she gave a sincere, “I’m sorry. I’ll just…”

“Jamie...it’s nothing to do with you, I’m the one whose messed up. I love you so much, and I’d tell you if I could, but I _can’t_. And I don’t want to shout at or scare you but…”

She hesitantly approached and stood over him until he looked through his hands at her. She offered an arm and he nodded once. She sat next to him and looped it around him in a loose hug.

“It’s okay...when I was a kid and my parents died...none of you rushed me to get over it. So whatever this is, I mean, I’m here y’know? You're not fucked up or whatever. We can talk about stuff you enjoy like, uh, lawnmowers?”

He didn’t respond verbally, but rather shot her an affectionate look before leaning over and placing a kiss on her temple. Normally she’d complain about something this cheesy but for tonight, she buried her face in his chest and let him stroke her hair like she was a little kid again.


End file.
